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Affordable & Unutilised Christmas Roast Beef Cuts

Serving beef at Christmas doesn’t have to break the bank. Tenderloin and prime rib taste delicious, but there are many other options out there for cost-conscious cookers.

The cuts in this post are tender, flavoursome and affordable but they are often overlooked by consumers. These cuts should be widely available – if not, put in a request with your butcher.

Before cooking your roast, we recommend that you invest in a meat thermometer – this will protect you from under or overcooking your roast. The cooking time frames we mention are general and will differ depending on your oven and the size/shape of your roast – for accurate cooking, download the Roast Mate App.

For your convenience, we’ve sorted the roasts by the adjectives we think describe them best.

Tender

If you want to try a little tenderness, order yourself an oyster blade roast, which comes from the shoulder of the carcass. Whole oyster blade roasts are ideal for high-heat roasting (temperatures between 230 and 260 degrees). Roast the entire top blade for approximately 8 to 10 minutes per 500 grams of weight, until your meat thermometer produces a readout of 49 degrees for rare meat, up to 54 degrees for medium.

Flavoursome

Renowned for its strong, deep flavour, top sirloin is reminiscent of a good sirloin steak. Ask your butcher for a centre cut portion of top sirloin, and roast it at a high heat of 230 to 260 degrees. As you do with top blade, roast it for 8 to 10 minutes per 500 grams of weight, or until your meat thermometer shows 49 degrees for a rare cook, up to 54 degrees for medium.

Underutilised

If you’re after an ultra-lean and underrated cut of beef that butchers often recommend, go for a top round roast. This leg cut is super tasty, versatile, and best cooked at a medium heat of 150 to 175 degrees. Cook for 18 to 20 minutes per 500 grams of weight, or until your thermometer shows 49 degrees for rare meat, up to 54 degrees for a more even medium roast.

Unique

If you’ve tried every beef cut under the sun, tri tip roast might be a new experience. Cut from the point where the hip and leg meet, tri tip is a tender and lean option for your Christmas roast beef. As with top round, tri tip is best cooked at a medium heat of 150 to 175 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes per 500 grams of weight. A meat thermometer reading of 49 degrees is best for rare meat, up to 54 degrees for medium.

Unexpected

Beef brisket is an increasingly popular choice, and is great smoked. Cook it a very low heat of 93 to 121 degrees for one to two hours per 500 grams of weight, or until your meat thermometer reads 85 degrees. At this point, you should be able to easily shred the meat with a fork. Brisket is super versatile, and is ideal for pot roasting as well.

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These roasts are sure to be the centrepiece of your holiday table – and will bring the gift of leftovers for days!